Full Notification

Reminder - the Lamorinda Virtual Evacuation Exercise is taking place this morning.  If you are registered with CWS, you should receive a test evacuation message.

On Saturday July 31st, the Lamorinda police departments (Moraga, Orinda & Lafayette), Moraga-Orinda Fire, Contra Costa County Fire, the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) and the Contra Costa County Community Warning System will be conducting a joint virtual evacuation exercise.  The drill will include all of Lamorinda and the community of Canyon. Each municipality has an evacuation plan that includes specific geographical evacuation zones.  In an actual emergency, evacuation messages will be issued for these zones when there is extreme danger to an area.  When a real evacuation order is issued, residents should evacuate immediately. 
 
The July 31st exercise begins at 9:30 a.m. and involves a virtual fire that spreads to all three Lamorinda cities.  Based upon the computer-generated fire model, exercise evacuation notifications will be issued to geographic zones that are threatened by the virtual fire.  As the fire spreads, additional test messages will be sent. Residents can expect to receive a test message sometime between 9:30 and 11:00 AM. As with a real emergency, all evacuation orders are issued via the Contra Costa County Community Warning System (CWS).  CWS is the only official source for this information.  During an emergency, Nixle will not be used for evacuation messages, but may be used to provide other information. Residents should subscribe to both services.
 
What should residents do to prepare for the exercise? 
 
First, ensure that you are registered for the Community Warning System (CWS) by going to www.cwsalerts.com.  CWS calls to your cell phone will display a return number of 925-655-0195.  This number is registered to Contra Costa County, which should prevent it from being screened by Spam filters.  However, please add this number to your “favorites” to ensure the call is not screened or labeled as “spam” or blocked by nighttime “do not disturb” settings. Please encourage your friends and neighbors to sign up and to participate in the exercise.
 
Second, take this opportunity to have discussions with your family about what to do when a real evacuation is ordered.  You should only take one car to reduce your impact on evacuation routes. If you have not prepared for an evacuation in advance or prepared a “Go Bag,” limit the items you bring to your wallet, cell phone, car keys and pets which can be loaded without delay.  For more information about what to take and how to prepare in advance, go to www.lamorindacert.org.  Additional information about evacuation checklists can be found at www.firesafemarin.org and about what to pack in a “Go Bag” can be found at www.ready.gov. You can sign up for Nixle alerts by texting your postal zip code to 888777. If you’d like to know which of the Town’s evacuation zones you live in you live in you can go to community.zonehaven.com and enter your address.
 
Third, on July 31st, when you receive the virtual evacuation drill notice, gather your family and practice loading into the car. Knock on the doors of the houses next to you to ensure they received the notice. Once you have done this, you’ve completed the virtual evacuation drill!
 
If you do not receive the evacuation alert, please contact CWS for help troubleshooting your registration. They can be reached via:

By phone: 925-313-9622
By e-mail: [email protected]
By mail: 50 Glacier Drive, Martinez, CA 94553
 
Drills like this help your Fire and Police Departments assess and improve practices in reacting to and notifying residents of emergency evacuation situations.  They also help residents ensure we are all prepared to evacuate safely so that first responders can focus on addressing the emergency.
 
Thank you in advance for participating in Lamorinda’s 2021 Virtual Evacuation Exercise and for helping to keep Moraga safe.